


The Queen's Visitor

by thisurlisamazingandyouknowit



Category: Lockwood & Co. - Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Posted with Permission, Slice of Life, because you know, full credit given, idk - Freeform, the queen of England - Freeform, things are going to happen, this is a fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 07:02:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8964634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisurlisamazingandyouknowit/pseuds/thisurlisamazingandyouknowit
Summary: When the team at Portland Row are confronted with an urgent, confidential case in the middle of the night, they find themselves working a timed case in Buckingham Palace by special request of the Queen herself. So you know, just a normal day.





	1. A Late Night Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Written by: http://lockwood-carlyle-cubbins.tumblr.com/
> 
> Full credit goes to her and her amazing brain! I'm posting this with permission from the author!

Silence covered the hallway of 35 Portland Row like a heavy blanket, broken only by the steady 'tick-tock' of the old clock on the wall and the distant murmur of taxis carried over from the main street. Darkness turned the house into a nightmarish graveyard, exotic figurines transformed into blurry, ominous shadows standing stark against the pale walls. George's crumpled sock lay stoic and alone in the doorway. All was still. All was quiet. 

'Personally, I think that was a resounding success, don't you?' The door burst open with an almighty crash as three unrecognisable figures stumbled inside, toppling over each other in their desperation to enter the warm house. Dust and grime smeared every visible surface not covered in bulky dark clothing, and a stray piece of foliage clung to Lucy's hair as she clawed at it in annoyance. Lockwood, who had spoken, fought his way in first and crossed the room to light the smoky lantern set into the adjacent wall.

Lucy watched him as he passed. She envied his ability to look graceful and in control even when covered in yesterday's compost - his collar had miraculously remained in its usual upright position, and his dishevelled hair suited his face just as much as his everyday hairstyle did. Even the mud covering his face seemed to highlight his prominent cheekbones and the deep creases in his crinkled forehead that stood out starkly in the gentle lamplight.

George spat a leaf out of his mouth. He looked terrible.

'A success?' He protested, flailing wildly in an attempt to tug his boots from his feet. 'A SUCCESS? You hit me in the face with your rapier hilt!' 

At this he abandoned his boot to gesture to the large purple bruise barely discernible on his mud smeared face. Lucy snorted in contempt.

'Stop being such a baby. It's barely a scratch.'

'A scratch? He could have decapitated me!' 

'Maybe you shouldn't have been standing right behind him then!'

'Well excuse me if I wasn't expecting a ghost to appear at any moment! The temperature was normal-'

'You're lucky. You could have been ghost touched, if Lockwood hadn't-'

'You're impossible-'

'I see you're back then,' a quiet voice from the living room doorway ended the argument abruptly. Lucy looked up in surprise to see Holly standing in the doorway, watching their messy entrance with her perfect nose wrinkled in distaste. 'What happened to you?'

'Rawhead,' Lucy replied shortly, unwilling to divulge the story before she had a warm shower, a long sleep, and possibly hit George over the head with something heavy. Not necessarily in that order. 'I need to sleep. Now.'

'Sleep sounds good,' Lockwood agreed, hanging his coat over the banister and starting up towards the bathroom.

The trio began to head up the staircase, preparing for the desperate fight over the shower that nobody wanted George to win. Not even Flo would be willing to use the shower after him, at least not without several tonnes of industrial detergent and the most effective nose peg in existence. Before they could get further than the third stair, however, a meaningful cough stopped them in their tracks.

Lucy sighed and turned to face Holly expectantly.

Holly smiled at her apologetically and ran her hand through her flowing curtain of hair. Lucy tugged half-heartedly at the leaf in her own scruffy mop, and her scowl deepened.

'Yes?' she demanded sharply. 'What is it?'

Holly looked affronted, but continued anyway 'I'm afraid you can't finish up just yet. There's a client here for you.' 

Lucy blinked in confusion. 

'What?' George questioned at the same time Lockwood said 'It's three AM.'

Holly frowned again, and rephrased her point slowly, as if worried they couldn't keep up. 'I'm sorry, but you're going to want to meet this one. I couldn't let it wait till morning.'

Lucy opened her mouth to protest just as Lockwood replied 'We'll see them.'

Lucy gritted her teeth in frustration and gripped the banister so tightly she thought she might break one of her own bones in the process. She was tired, angry, grimy, and desperate to take a long nap before embarking on whatever case tomorrow brought. She did not need pristine, chirpy agents proclaiming what case was worth her time and what case meant she had to stay up one second later listening to George whining about the minor bump on his face. The Skull seemed to agree with her.

'You know, I think I've figured out exactly where we can bury her body. It'll be a bit messy and you might need some help, but if you get it done fast you can be back in bed in fifteen minutes, no problem.' The Skull offered helpfully.

'Shut up,'

'Your loss.'

Lockwood turned and smiled at her questioningly. 'Did you say something, Luce?'

Lucy smiled in return and hastily tried to squash the fluffy feeling his smile brought to her stomach. 'No, I didn't. But let's go meet this client.'

Holly lifted her hand to stop them as they trudged back down towards her. 'You might want to wash up a little first. Lockwood, you're fine, but George, Lucy -' she raised a single eyebrow at them pointedly.

'I'm telling you, there's a tonne of heavy objects just lying around here-'

'I said shut up,' Lucy hissed. She and George turned and trudged down towards the kitchen.

'I'm telling you, there'd better be biscuits,' George grumbled as they walked 'Chocolate eclairs at the very least. It's been a very long day.'

'You can shut up too,' Lucy amended, punching George lightly in the shoulder. George scowled at her, but didn't say anything more on the matter.

They washed up and headed up to meet their client.


	2. That escalated quickly

The prim woman perched on the edge of the tattered sofa looked about as at home there as a piece of meat in a cheese shop. Her navy blue suit jacket perfectly matched the tight bun of dark hair that perched on the top of her head, and when matched with her white silk shirt seemed to produce an air of authority about her. Lucy would have complimented her choice in clothing, but she had no idea about clothing, or indeed any desire to compliment the woman. Luckily, Holly was happy to step in.

'Your shirt looks beautiful, Mrs. Pellins.' Holly smiled in the simpering fashion that made Lucy want to punch her, but at least her words had broken the awkward silence that had fallen over the party since they had sat down.

The woman – Mrs.Pellins, she supposed – gave a short nod and muttered a terse 'thank you' before turning back to Lockwood. She raised her eyebrow at him, her foot tapping impatiently on the cluttered floor. Lucy exchanged a questioning look with George, but was merely greeted with a shrug and an offer of the biscuit plate. She accepted. 

Lockwood seemed oblivious to the woman's impatience as he painstakingly poured each person a cup of tea, his usual client-friendly grin stuck in place on his pale, high-cheekboned face. Lucy wondered how long it had taken him to perfect that smile – she could never seem to gather up more than a scowl for their clients, especially when she was as tired and frustrated as she was now.  
Finally, Lockwood sat back down on the sagging sofa and turned his smile towards their mysterious client. 

'Mrs. Pellins,' He gestured to the cup of tea he had poured for her as he spoke 'Why don't you have a drink, and explain why it is you've come here?'

Mrs. Pellins sighed in exasperation when he finally began to speak, and was already waving her hand dismissively before he had finished his sentence. 'I'm afraid this is no time for tea, Mr. Lockwood. I'm here by urgent request of one of the highest in the nation, and this problem requires swift action.' 

At this, George sat up in interest. He even put down his mug of tea in favour of leaning his chin eagely on his hands. 'What do you mean, 'highest in the nation'?'

'What kind of situation?' Lockwood added, his smile remaining unchanged despite the rebuttal.

'And what the heck could be urgent enough to come here at a time when most of us would like to be sleeping?' Lucy demanded, since they were finally asking  
the important questions.

Lockwood glanced over at Lucy to where she sat beside him. She saw a flash of amusement pass over his face before Mrs. Pellins's voice brought him back round to face their client.

Mrs. Pellins looked a little annoyed at their interruption, and she continued more forcefully as if daring them to interupt again. 'The urgent matter of which I am speaking come in the form of a small cluster in one of the most important locations in London.' She turned her gaze to Lucy, her eyebrows raised disapprovingly ' And as for the reason I'm here so late, Miss. Carlyle, is because my employer would like their place of abode as safe as possible as soon as possible.' Their client pulled a small black notebook out of pocket and began jotting down something, as if she had finished speaking and was waiting for their reactions.

Lockwood looked a little taken aback, but soon regained his composure and turned to see what the others made of this news. Lucy blinked and shrugged in confusion. Why would some important figure want to hire Lockwood and Co to clear out their infestation? Fittes would be the more obvious choice, though she was more than happy to steal buisness from the festering pile of filth that was Penelope – or should she say Marissa? - Fittes. Holly would say that was a little strong, but Fittes had tried to threaten Lockwood and Co, which put her pretty low on the list of people Lucy was willing to forgive. Lockwood and Lucy both glanced over at George, but his attention was focused entirely on where Pellins sat writing her notes. His disapproving frown was deep enough to drown in.

'Are you going to tell us who the mystery client is already, or what?' He demanded, glancing at Lockwood for support. 

Lockwood nodded and raised his eyebrows at Mrs. Pellins in a mocking imitation of her own disapproving expression 'After all, Mrs Pellins, time is of the essence.'

Mrs Pellins didn't seem to notice the mocking tone to his voice and merely nodded in agreement before replying. 'You're right. Your newest client will be Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, and we would like you to begin working on the case tomorrow night.'

A stunned silence filled the room. Lucy spat her mouthful of tea across the table.

'Her Royal....what?' Holly tried weakly, her pen hanging in the air above her paper, paused mid-sentence.

'The Queen of England.' Mrs. Pellins repeated slowly, wiping her skirt to remove any flecks of liquid from Lucy's tea from the material. She carefully turned her gaze from person to person as if checking to see if the news had sunk in yet. Holly looked as if someone has announced the sky was falling down and they had less than a minute left to live. George had frozen with his biscuit halfway to his mouth, a true testament to his surprise – George would never willingly delay eating without excellent reason.

Lucy herself probably didn't look much better. The Queen? Why would the Queen want Lockwood and Co. to help, of all the agencies she could have requested? None of it made any sense. She turned to Lockwood, looking for some kind of explanation, but somehow he remained unfazed by the revaluation. He waved off Lucy's questioning gaze and carefully set his mug of tea back on the table.

'Why exactly would Her Majesty be interested in the services of Lockwood and Co?' He enquired mildly, as if he was merely asking after the weather. Normally Lucy would have marvelled at his calm approach to the situation, but this was just ridiculous. It was the QUEEN, for goodness sake. Would it kill the guy to react normally sometimes? She felt stupid for reacting so violently when he had this calm facade on. George seemed to feel similarly. He shot Lockwood an indecipherable look and shoved the remainder of his biscuit into his mouth to hide his surprise.

'She seems to believe you are London's most talented young agency. She said something about having read about you in the newspapers – she quite enjoyed the spectacle at the parade in Chelsea, Mr. Lockwood.' Mrs. Pellins replied, twirling her pen absently in her hand as she spoke.

'Ah, yes,' Lockwood smiled into his tea 'They were quite...flattering in that account, if I recall correctly.'

George snorted at that, but still said nothing. Lucy recalled the large picture of Lockwood flying through the air with Lucy's knee just visible, and understood exactly what he meant.

'We'll send a driver to pick you up at 4.' Mrs. Pellins stood briskly 'Since you will be taking our case. Good-day to you all.' And with that she turned and strolled out of the living room, leaving the team where they sat.

The door clicked behind her, filling the house with silence once again.

'Well,' George intoned, draining the last dregs of his tea mug 'That escalated quickly.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by: http://lockwood-carlyle-cubbins.tumblr.com/
> 
> Full credit goes to her and her amazing brain! I'm posting this with permission from the author!


	3. WHaT????

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by: http://lockwood-carlyle-cubbins.tumblr.com/
> 
> Full credit goes to her and her amazing brain! I'm posting this with permission from the author!

'Did that just happen?' Lucy flailed at the door in confusion 'I'm not crazy. That just happened, right?'  
Lockwood shot his blindingly charming grin at her in reply. 'It appears we have a new client, Luce. Holly, would you mind filling in the diary?'  
Holly just stared at him. 'The diary.' she repeated numbly 'The diary?'   
'It's the book you write our appointments in,' George offered helpfully 'I think it's in the desk. Can I have the last biscuit?'  
Lucy scowled at him and turned to Lockwood again, her voice serious. 'Lockwood, can we be sure she's not lying? She could be pulling a prank, or-'  
'Someone could be trying to kill us?' George suggested, grabbing the cookie and sitting back in his chair 'Maybe it's Fittes. Or Rotwell returned from the dead - Or maybe Kipps. Maybe we should write a list of potential suspects?'  
'That would take too long and you know it.'  
Lockwood sipped his tea, his smug smile not leaving his face 'Why would anyone want to kill me?'   
Lucy snorted. 'Thefts, maybe?'  
'Fires?' George offered.  
'Property destruction?'   
'Dirty laundry?' Holly added, shooting a pointed look in George's   
direction.  
'Maybe just your whole personality?' George spoke around his mouthful, oblivious to Holly's derision.  
Lockwood sniffed and put his tea back in its saucer. 'I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, she's telling the truth.'  
Lucy raised a single eyebrow and considered punching him. 'How do you know?'  
'Intuition,' he stood up and placed his empty cup and saucer back on the table. 'Well, we should all get some rest. Big day tomorrow?'  
'Lockwood-'  
Lockwood touched her shoulder and met her eyes with his deep brown ones, and Lucy thought she could fall into them and never come out. She shook herself mentally. Where did that come from?   
Lockwood held her gaze, his expression once again serious 'Trust me, Luce. Besides, I need my best agent on this one. You'll come, right?'  
Lucy felt her cheeks turn bright red. She coughed and looked away, barely catching George's eye roll. She scowled at him and muttered in reply 'Um, yeah. Sure.'  
Lockwood shone his brilliant white smile at her. 'Thanks, Luce. I can always count on you.'  
'Really?' George groaned, rubbing a grubby hand over his face. 'REALLY?'  
Lockwood turned back to him 'What?'  
George held his hands up in mock innocence. 'I didn't say anything.'  
Lucy couldn't see Lockwood's face, but she thought his cheeks might be as red as hers.  
'We'll need some back up on this one,' Lockwood changed the subject with suspicious haste, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.  
'I'll help,' Holly offered, her pen lying forgotten on her notepad.   
'Of course, Holly, thank you,' Lockwood turned to her, 'But I was thinking we might need some...external help too.'  
Lucy wasn't sure who groaned louder: her or George.  
'Not Kipps.' George practically begged 'Please not Kipps.'  
Lockwood was already halfway out the door before he replied 'Big day tomorrow. We should all head to bed.'  
'It's the QUEEN, Lockwood. What are we supposed to DO?' Lucy called after him.  
'Not burn this one down, I suppose.' He answered cheerfully. 'Goodnight!'  
George stared after him as his hair disappeared round the doorway and turned to Lucy.   
'Am I the only one who gets the urge to punch him sometimes?' He asked, shaking his head and brushing crumbs out of his lack.  
'No. No you are not.'


End file.
